Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Don't forget, early morning action as the crescent Moon visites three bright planets (31 Jan-2 Feb)
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| Morning twilight sky on Thursday, January 31 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:32 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). The thin crescent Moon is close to Jupiter. Venus is below Jupiter. Saturn is low to the horizon. The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time. the lower left insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at the same scale and the lower right that of Saturn. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise) | Morning twilight sky on Friday, February 1 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:34 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). Venus is bright and is close to the crescent Moon. Jupiter is above Venus and Saturn below it. The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time. the lower left insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at the same scale and the lower right that of Saturn. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise). | Morning twilight sky on Saturday, February 2looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:34 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). Venus is bright with Jupiter above it and Saturn below it. Saturn is close to the thin crescent Moon. The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time. the lower left insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at the same scale and the lower right that of Saturn. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise) |
The astronomical action is in the morning sky over the next three mornings as the thin crescent Moon visits Jupiter, Venus and Saturn in turn. The 31st has a bonus of an occultation of Ganymede by Jupiter. On the 2nd Venus can be seen in binoculars amongst some interesting clusters and nebulae.
Labels: binocular, Conjunction, Jupiter, Moon, Saturn, telescope, unaided eye, Venus
Southern Skywatch February 2019 edition is now out!
The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time. the lower left insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at the same scale and the lower right that of Saturn. The previous morning the crescent Moon was close to Jupiter, the following morning the crescent Moon will be close to Saturn.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).
The February edition of Southern Skywatch is now up.
Mercury is in the evening sky but too close to the horizon to see in the twilight.
Venus is climbing higher in the morning skies and is close to the crescent Moon on the 1st. In even small telescopes it is a "gibbous moon"shape. Venus is close to some interesting clusters and nebulae from the 2nd to the 12th. Venus is close to Saturn in the morning sky on the 19th
Jupiter is close to waning Moon on the 28th.
Mars is close to the waxing Moon on the 10-11th. Mars and Uranus are closest on the 19th.
Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky chasing then catching Venus on the 19th.
Comet C/2018 Y1 may be visible in binoculars.
February 1, crescent Moon near Venus.
February 2 crescent Moon close to Saturn. February 10-11; Mars close to the waxing Moon. February 28; waning Moon close to Jupiter.
February 5; Moon at Apogee; February 19 Moon at perigee (near perigee full Moon, the second so called "super Moon" of this year, with full Moon on the 20th, this year is the best perigee/agpogee full Moon combination until 2032)
Labels: southern skywatch
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday January 31 to Thursday February 7
The New Moon is Tuesday, February 5. Mars is visible low in
the evening skies.
With the New Moon this is an excellent time to view the summer
constellations. In the lead up to new Moon the morning skies are a glorious sight. Venus is bright in the morning sky with Jupiter above it and Saturn below.
The crescent Moon is close to Jupiter on the 31st, Venus on the 1st and Saturn on the 2nd.
The New Moon is Tuesday, February 5. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 5th as well.
Morning twilight sky on Friday, February 1 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:34 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). Venus is bright and
is close to the crescent Moon. Jupiter is above Venus and Saturn below it. The left
upper insert inset shows the telescopic
view of Venus at this time. the lower left insert shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at the same scale and the lower right that of Saturn. The previous morning the crescent Moon was close to Jupiter, the following morning the crescent Moon will be close to Saturn.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).
Evening sky on Saturday, February 2 as seen looking north-west from Adelaide
at 21:56 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Mars is the brightest object
above the western horizon.Uranus is visible in binoculars nut far away. Next week the pair will be close together.
The Pleiades and Hyades also grace the north-western sky.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Evening sky on Saturday, February 2 as seen looking South-east from Adelaide
at 21:56 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset).
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
This weekend is a perfect time to observe our wonderful southern sky. The Moon is a waning crescent that does not rise until morning twilight so this is an excellent time to look at the wonderful clusters and nebula of our southern skies with the unaided eye or binoculars.
The Milky way stretches from the Southern cross (Wilto the Eagle to the people of the Adelaide Plains) in the south to the distinctive constellation of Orion and beyond. The Milky ways' satellite dwarf galaxies, the Magellanic clouds, (between and below the bright stars Canopus and Achernar) are easily seen away from the city lights. This is the last week to get a good look at these wonders before the Moon's light washes them out. The yellow lines bracket the globular cluster 47 Tucana, next to the Small Magellanic cloud under Achernar. The inset shows the approximate binocular view of 47 Tucana and the Small Magellanic cloud.
Evening sky on Saturday, February 2 as seen looking north from Adelaide
at 21:56 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). The constellation of Orion dominates the northern sky, closer to the horizon, just
to the west of Aldebaran and the A shape of the Hyades is the delightful Pleiades
cluster.
The inset shows the approximate field of view of the Sword of Orion and the Orion nebula (although you will have to be at a dark sky location to see it at its best)
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is bright in the morning skies below Jupiter. Venus and the crescent Moon are close on the 1st. Venus is close to a number of interesting clusters, although you will have to wait until the 4th, when the Moon has moved out of the way, to see them at their best. Venus is initially within a binocular field of the open cluster M23, and by the end of the week is within a binocular field of the Trifid and Lagoon Nebula, although Venuses brightness may make them difficult to see.
Mercury is lost in the twilight
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky heading away from Venus. Jupiter and the crescent Moon are close on the 31st.
Mars is in Pisces and is readily seen as the brightest object in the western evening sky. Mars sets just before midnight. Mars is coming closer to Uranus and the pair will be close next week.
Saturn is climbs higher in the morning sky. Saturn and the crescent Moon are close on the 2nd.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEDST, Western sky at 10 pm AEDST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
The New Moon is Tuesday, February 5. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 5th as well.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).
The Pleiades and Hyades also grace the north-western sky.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
This weekend is a perfect time to observe our wonderful southern sky. The Moon is a waning crescent that does not rise until morning twilight so this is an excellent time to look at the wonderful clusters and nebula of our southern skies with the unaided eye or binoculars.
The Milky way stretches from the Southern cross (Wilto the Eagle to the people of the Adelaide Plains) in the south to the distinctive constellation of Orion and beyond. The Milky ways' satellite dwarf galaxies, the Magellanic clouds, (between and below the bright stars Canopus and Achernar) are easily seen away from the city lights. This is the last week to get a good look at these wonders before the Moon's light washes them out. The yellow lines bracket the globular cluster 47 Tucana, next to the Small Magellanic cloud under Achernar. The inset shows the approximate binocular view of 47 Tucana and the Small Magellanic cloud.
The inset shows the approximate field of view of the Sword of Orion and the Orion nebula (although you will have to be at a dark sky location to see it at its best)
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is bright in the morning skies below Jupiter. Venus and the crescent Moon are close on the 1st. Venus is close to a number of interesting clusters, although you will have to wait until the 4th, when the Moon has moved out of the way, to see them at their best. Venus is initially within a binocular field of the open cluster M23, and by the end of the week is within a binocular field of the Trifid and Lagoon Nebula, although Venuses brightness may make them difficult to see.
Mercury is lost in the twilight
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky heading away from Venus. Jupiter and the crescent Moon are close on the 31st.
Mars is in Pisces and is readily seen as the brightest object in the western evening sky. Mars sets just before midnight. Mars is coming closer to Uranus and the pair will be close next week.
Saturn is climbs higher in the morning sky. Saturn and the crescent Moon are close on the 2nd.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEDST, Western sky at 10 pm AEDST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Labels: weekly sky
A belated Christmas and Birthday reflection
"How to make gravy" always makes me cry uncontrollably since Jack died. Even writing about it is uncomfortable. Despite it being a song about loss and yearning to be with family and worry that your role in the family will be replaced (and maybe not as well), I have no idea why this song brings feelings of Jack back so vividly and forcibly.
Loss and yearning plays a big role of course, but Jack never played a central role in the cooking of family Christmas feasts (the main concern of the singing character which stands for his other worries about loss). He certainly never made gravy (although he consumed it with gusto), however on two occasions he played a central role in making dessert pizzas with his brothers and cousins. But I suppose the song just brings home the gap in the family Christmas celebration, the empty chair at the table. All I can say is that song brings grief bubbling unbidden and uncontrollably to the surface in the way no other memory of Jack does.
This was the third Christmas without Jack, and the first without mum, a double dealing of loss. Mum was at the Newberry Hill Christmas celebration only once, but ever after I would hold the phone up on Christmas day so everyone could shout "Merry Christmas" at her from the long table. She loved it, but I will never again make this small ritual of connection.
Jack may not have been a maker of gravy, but we had a semi-occasional birthday ritual of him consuming an enormous schnitzel, which started when poppa Tom challenged him to eat an similarly enormous schnitzel when he was a young lad (he succeeded to everyone's surprise).
This year of course no schnitzels were consumed, the pool untroubled by joyful, energetic young men laughing, jumping and splashing to help him celebrate. But his mate Alex came over and we drank many cups of coffee and discussed life, remembering Jack, coping and animae and manga.
Another loss will be the somewhat late birthday cards from mum, bearing $50 checks for the boys. They will come no more, along with the birthday phone calls, somewhat louder each year as mum got progressively deafer. Another ritual of connection with distant loved ones gone.
Soon mums ashes will rest nestled up to dads, a simple bronze plaque carrying the lines of their service to country and the love of their family. Amounts those ashes will be the ashes of messages of love that accompanied her final journey.
Jack's resting place has no plaque, but bushland, birdsong and a growing collection of beautiful stones to carry his memory with us.
In the future we will have other rituals of connection, as the families grow older, and the children move away with the new lives they forge. One day we will be the distant voices they yell Christmas greetings to, metaphorically passing the gravy recipe to new hands, to carry on where we cannot.
Labels: home life
Friday, January 25, 2019
Images from the Perigee ("super") Moon of 21 January 2019
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| Perigee (super) Moon of 21 January 2019. 25 mm eyepiece with Sony Xepria mobile phone ASA 800 1/4000 sec exposure. 4" Newtonian. Scaled full frame image. Click to embiggen. | Perigee (super) Moon of 21 January 2019. 25 mm eyepiece with Sony Xepria
mobile phone 2 x Zoom, ASA 400 1/4000 sec exposure. 4" Newtonian. Scaled full frame image. Click to embiggen. |
Here are my images from the perigee ("super") Moon of 21 January. The images above are taken with my mile phone camera held to a 25mm eyepiece of my 4$" Newtonian telescope using a mobile phone adaptor, the left image is unadjusted and un-cropped, the right image is 2xZoom at the same scale (unadjusted and un-cropped). If you click on them for the full size image, you can see that Zooming didn't really help, bigger image but less clarity. The weird colour of the zoomed moon is due to camera colour response.
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| Perigee (super) Moon of 21 January 2019. 25 mm eyepiece with Sony Xepria mobile phone ASA 800 1/4000 sec exposure. 4" Newtonian. Image cropped to Moon then scaled to 800x600. Click to embiggen. | Perigee (super) Moon of 21 January 2019. 25 mm eyepiece with Sony Xepria
mobile phone 2 x Zoom, ASA 400 1/4000 sec exposure. 4" Newtonian. Image cropped to Moon then scaled to 800x600. Click to embiggen. |
Same images cropped to the Moon at a 1:33 ratio then saved as 800x600. Again the Zoomed image has no obvious benefits in clarity.
The difference is not as big as the perigee apogee pair from 2014. This is because the January perigee moon was about 14 hours form perigee and the apogee Moon was also 14 hours from apogee (when the Moons size will be biggest and smallest respectively). In 2014 the perigee Moon was dead on Perigee and the apogee Moon was 2 hours off apogee, so the size difference was maximized. This year Feb 19 will be 6 hours from Perigee and Sep 13 will be 15 hours from apogee, giving a somewhat better contrast but still not as good as 2014. The year (Feb/Sep) is the best pairing until 2032.
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| 10 mm eyepiece with Sony Xepria mobile phone ASA 400 1/4000 sec exposure. 4" Newtonian. Image cropped to 1:32 then scaled to 800x600 | 10 mm eyepiece with Sony Xepria mobile phone ASA 400 1/4000 sec exposure. 4" Newtonian. Image cropped to 1:32 then scaled to 800x600 |
Images through my 10 mm eye piece, I can't fit the full Moon into the active area of the camera, but I can get some nice details suitable for mosaics. I'll post some later on. I'll alos have a go with the 8" with motor drive when I feel like lugging the behemoth out.
Labels: astrophotography, mobile Phone, Moon, perigee, telescope
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Venus and Jupiter close together under the Scorpion (Wednesday 23 January 2019)
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| Venus and Jupiter close together under Scorpius the Scorpion and the bright Star Antares. Venus is the brightest object at the bottom, Jupiter is the next brightest above it and Antares is the next brightest above the pair.Looking east from Adelaide, Wednesday January 23, 5:22 am ACDST. Canon IXUS 800 ASA, 10x 2 second exposures stacked in DeepSky Stacker then contrast adjusted in Gimp. Click to embiggen | Close up of Venus and Jupiter close together under Scorpius the Scorpion and the bright Star Antares. Wednesday January 23, 5:25 am ACDST. Canon IXUS 800 ASA, 10x 2 second exposures 3 x Zoom. Stacked in DeepSky Stacker then contrast adjusted in Gimp. Click to embiggen |
Venus and Jupiter have been slowly edging towards each other in the morning. This morning they were at there closest, nestling underneath the curl of the Scorpion. The pair looke beautiful in the morning twilight. Don't worry if you missed it, the pair will say close over the next couple of days.
Labels: astrophotography, Conjunction, Jupiter, unaided eye, Venus
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday January 24 to Thursday January 31
The last Quarter Moon is Monday, January 28. Mars is visible low in
the evening skies.
With the Moon rsisng later this is an excellent time to view the summer constellations. Venus is bright in the morning sky with Jupiter above moving away from it.
The crescent Moon is close to Jupiter on the 31st. Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky.
The last Quarter Moon is Monday, January 28.
Morning twilight sky on Thursday, January 31 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:40 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). Jupiter is clsoe to the crescent Moon. Venus is bright and below Jupiter. Saturn is low to the horizon. The left
upper insert inset shows the telescopic
view of Venus at this time. the lower left insert shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at the same scale and the lower right that of Saturn.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise)
Evening sky on Saturday, January 26 as seen looking west from Adelaide
at 22:06 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Mars is the brightest object
above the western horizon.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Evening sky on Saturday, January 26 as seen looking north from Adelaide
at 22:06 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). The constellation of Orion dominates the northern sky, closer to the horizon, just
to the west of Aldebaran and the A shape of the Hyades is the delightful Pleiades
cluster.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus climbs higher in the morning skies and moves away from Jupiter.
Mercury is lost in the twilight
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky heading away from Venus. Jupiter and the crescent Moon are close on the 31st.
Mars is in Pisces and is readily seen as the brightest object in the western evening sky. Mars sets just before midnight.
Saturn is climbs higher in the morning sky.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
The last Quarter Moon is Monday, January 28.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise)
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus climbs higher in the morning skies and moves away from Jupiter.
Mercury is lost in the twilight
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky heading away from Venus. Jupiter and the crescent Moon are close on the 31st.
Mars is in Pisces and is readily seen as the brightest object in the western evening sky. Mars sets just before midnight.
Saturn is climbs higher in the morning sky.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Labels: weekly sky
Labels: weekly sky
Monday, January 21, 2019
Photographing the Perigee ("Super") Moon of January 21, 2019
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| Comparison of this months Perigee Full Moon with the apogee full Moon on September 13 | A selection of different adapters, from left to right camera adapter, mobile phone adapter and a 25 mm lens |
There has been a lot of excitement on the internet of tonight's "Super Moon" because from the US and Europe it occurs at the same time as a total Lunar Eclipse (Getting it called a "Super Blood Wolf Moon"). We won't see the eclipse in Australia, we had our "Super Blue Moon" eclipse last year, but we will get to see the Perigee Syzygy Moon in all its glory.
So what will you see? While the Moon's size is really obvious in a telescope, visually it is very hard to see the difference between this Full Moon and the one before even if you have fantastic eyesight. Indeed telling the difference between this perigee Moon and the following apogee Moon on 13 September will be very difficult.
In both cases, the Moon is around half the width of your finger, and a mere 4' (that's minutes of arc, about 4 human hairs in width) different in size. This is around the limit of what humans can distinguish. If you have great eyesight and a great memory you will be able to distinguish between the January and August full Moons, but otherwise, no.
As well, unless you have a REALLY good memory, you will be comparing it with the full Moon the month beforehand, when it was almost identical in diameter, that is not much different at all.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't look though, Daniel Fischer has been able to see the difference, you can read his account and viewing tips here
http://earthsky.org/space/can-you-discern-supermoons-large-size-with-the-eye-an-observer-says-yes
However, it will be a good photo opportunity, if you have a decent zoom on your DSLR camera or access to a small telescope. If you do have access to a telescope and you take an image on January 21, then take a photo of the Moon on September 13 you will see a decent difference (you need to use exactly the same zoom enlargement, see Inconstant Moon for general instructions). In the past, I have used a simple point and shoot camera with an adapter for moon imaging as well as a DSLR. But what if you don't have these kinds of cameras? The solution is the mobile phone.
Modern mobile phones have amazing imaging ability. You can get decent images just by holding your mobile phone to the lens of the telescope. But this can be an exercise in frustration as you try and align the mobile phone lens with the telescope lens aperture.
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| The Mead mobile phone adapter | Mead mobile phone adapter with 25 mm lens in place |
However, if you already have a tripod adapter for the mobile phone, you can use it with a telescope camera adapter (top right image, far left adapter). You can also get a dedicated mobile phone adapter, there are several out there of varying prices (see here, here, here and here). I have a Meade adapter. It is mildly annoying but is good for my phone which has a very off centre lens.
You simply attach the adapter to the lens of your choice. I suggest a wide field lens like a 25 mm. It allows you to fit the whole moon in and is very forgiving if your scope and finder scope are slightly out of alignment.
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| Assembled with the mobile phone in place, alignment needs to be adjusted | Assembled on telescope |
One the phone is assembled on the adapter you will need to adjust the alignment so the entire aperture is visible in the phone, then you can pop the assembly on the telescope. If I am doing this at night, I use my red-light torch to set up the alignment before assembly by shining it into the lens (trying to do in on the scope is an exercise in frustration).
Hint: make sure you do this over a soft surface if the phone falls off it won't smash then.
For a full Moon, you shouldn't need to go from manual to auto. But it is more satisfying if you do. Most mobiles now have a full suite of manual settings (the location of the manual controls are very variable between mobile phones, check yours out in advance). Change autofocus to manual and use the landscape/infinity setting. Choose an iso around 400 and a shutter speed as fast as possible the give you a decent image (I use around 1/1000 to 1/2000 sec).
Unless you have a guided scope the Moons image will drift so a rapid shutter speed will reduce the blurring. Even with a guided scope fats shutter speeds will give sharper images due to reduced atmospheric blurring.
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| "Super Blue Moon" Total Lunar eclipse of 1 February 1:12 am. Sony Xepria 1/500th sec exposure ASA 400. This is a perigee Moon | "Mini Moon" Total Lunar Eclipse of 28 July, 4:25 am. Sony Xepria 1/2000th sec exposure ASA 400. This is an apogee Moon. Note the clear difference in size between the two (same image scale and zoom factor) |
The images above were taken with my Sony Xperia mobile phone.
Don't worry if you can't nip down to your local astronomy shop today to get an adaptor, try the holding the phone up to the lens arrangement as a practice for the February 19 perigee Moon, and purchase an adapter after you have done a bit of research on prices.
With an adapter, you can broaden you astrophotography horizons so much (eclipses and some of the brighter clusters are now accessible to you)
Labels: astrophotography, mobile Phone, Moon, perigee, where to look
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday January 17 to Thursday January 24
The Full Moon is Monday, January 21. This is a perigee full Moon. Mars is visible low in
the evening skies.
Venus is bright in the morning sky and Jupiter below is closing in on
it.
The pair are closest on the 23rd. Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky.
The Full Moon is Monday, January 21. This is a perigee full Moon, also called a "super Moon" (although perigee is technically the next day, the full Moon of February 19 is closer to perigee). There is also a total Lunar eclipse, but this will not be seen in Australia.
Morning twilight sky on Wednesday, January 23 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:40 ACDST (40 minutes before sunrise). Venus is bright and is at its closest to Jupiter. Saturn is low to the horizon. The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic
view of Venus at this time. the lower insert shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at the same scale.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (45 minutes before sunrise)
Evening sky on Saturday, January 19 as seen looking west from Adelaide
at 22:12 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Mars is the brightest object
above the western horizon.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Chart comparing the binocular/telescopic appearance of the January 21 2019 Full Perigee Moon with the apogee Moon of September 13 2019 .This year's
perigee Moon on January 21will be slightly smaller than the February
one. Click to embiggen.
What can you expect to see with the "Super Moon" of January 21 ?
Not much really, unless you are a regular observer of the Moon, have good visual acuity and a good memory.
The problem is, while the Moon is close this time around, it doesn't actually translate into something you can easily see with your unaided eye. Mondays Full Moon will be around 14% larger and 30% brighter than September's apogee Full Moon.So unless you have a good memory, you won't wee much (but it will be a good opportunity to photograph the full Moon, then again in September and compare the images.
Venus climbs higher in the morning skies and Jupiter is heading towards it. The pair are closest on the 23rd.
Mercury is lost in the twilight
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky heading towards Venus. The pair are closest on the 23rd.
Mars is in Pisces and is readily seen as the brightest object in the western evening sky. Mars sets just before midnight.
Saturn is climbs higher in the morning sky although it is still quite low.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
The Full Moon is Monday, January 21. This is a perigee full Moon, also called a "super Moon" (although perigee is technically the next day, the full Moon of February 19 is closer to perigee). There is also a total Lunar eclipse, but this will not be seen in Australia.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (45 minutes before sunrise)
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
What can you expect to see with the "Super Moon" of January 21 ?
Not much really, unless you are a regular observer of the Moon, have good visual acuity and a good memory.
The problem is, while the Moon is close this time around, it doesn't actually translate into something you can easily see with your unaided eye. Mondays Full Moon will be around 14% larger and 30% brighter than September's apogee Full Moon.So unless you have a good memory, you won't wee much (but it will be a good opportunity to photograph the full Moon, then again in September and compare the images.
Venus climbs higher in the morning skies and Jupiter is heading towards it. The pair are closest on the 23rd.
Mercury is lost in the twilight
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky heading towards Venus. The pair are closest on the 23rd.
Mars is in Pisces and is readily seen as the brightest object in the western evening sky. Mars sets just before midnight.
Saturn is climbs higher in the morning sky although it is still quite low.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Labels: weekly sky
Friday, January 11, 2019
100 hours of Astronomy - Morning View (12-13 Jaunary)
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| Morning sky on Saturday, January 12 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:09 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). Venus is bright and is coming close to Jupiter. The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time. The lower insert shows the approximate view of Jupiter and its moons at at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise). Venus and Jupiter are to the same scale, click to embiggen. | >Morning sky on Sunday, January 13 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:09 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). Venus is bright and near to Jupiter (wath them over the coming week as they get closer). The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time. The right insert shows the approximate view of Jupiter and its moons at at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise) |
I hope you all are enjoying the 100 hours of Astronomy. I've had some clear nights, and done some lunar imaging, but the mornings are nice too, with bright Jupiter and Venus coming closer together, nestled under the body of the Scorpion and the bright red star Antares. So if you are up early, have a look!
Labels: Jupiter, public outreach, unaided eye, Venus
Thursday, January 10, 2019
The 100 Hours of Astronomy starts Tonight! (10 January 2019)
The 100 hours of Astronomy is an international astronomical event where amateurs and professionals get to hare their love of and joy in Astronomy in a 100 hour round the world - round the clock celebration from 10 -13 January. This is part of the celebrations for 100 years of the International Astronomical Union.
While there are official events world wide, there seem to be only two official events in Australia. However, if you look up the list of Australian Astronomical Societies at the Quasar Publishing site, you may find a public viewing day near you at this time (eg the South Australian Astronomical society has two, one on the 11th and one on the 12th). Sadly, many others don't as people are away for the holidays.
Even if there are no official events you can enjoy the sky yourself (or with family as friends). If you go out right now the crescent Moon is gracing the evening skies, beautiful in binoculars (and a good telescope target if you have a telescope lying about to dust of), and on the 12th and 13th the waxing but still fairly crescenty Moon is close to Mars.
As well, the southern sky is well worth looking at with either the unaided eye, binoculars or a telescope. The area between the Southern Cross and the False cross is particularly delightful. This is also a good time to view the girls gathering vegetables (Mankamankarranna to the peoples of the Adelaide Plains, or the Pleiades to the Greeks) and Tinniinyarra, the youths hunting kangaroos (Orion to the ancient Greeks).
Evening sky on Saturday, January 12 as seen looking South-east from Adelaide
at 22:15 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset).
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
This weekend is a perfect time to observe our wonderful southern sky. The Moon is a waxing crescent so this is still an excellent time to look at the wonderful clusters and nebula of our southern skies with the unaided eye or binoculars.
The Milky way stretches from the Southern cross (Wilto the Eagle to the people of the Adelaide Plains) in the south to the distinctive constellation of Orion and beyond. The Milky ways' satellite dwarf galaxies, the Magellanic clouds, (between and below the bright stars Canopus and Achernar) are easily seen away from the city lights. This is the last week to get a good look at these wonders before the Moon's light washes them out.
Approximate Binocular view of the area between the Southern Cross and
the False cross Saturday, January 12 as seen l
at 22:15 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). The distinctive open cluster,
the Southern Pleiades, is seen around theta (θ) Carina (near top
center).
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Evening sky on Saturday, January 12 as seen looking north from Adelaide
at 22:15 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). The constellation of Orion (Tinniinyarra) dominates the northern sky, closer to the horizon, just to the west of the A shape of the Hyades is the delightful Pleiades cluster (Mankamankarranna).
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
While there are official events world wide, there seem to be only two official events in Australia. However, if you look up the list of Australian Astronomical Societies at the Quasar Publishing site, you may find a public viewing day near you at this time (eg the South Australian Astronomical society has two, one on the 11th and one on the 12th). Sadly, many others don't as people are away for the holidays.
Even if there are no official events you can enjoy the sky yourself (or with family as friends). If you go out right now the crescent Moon is gracing the evening skies, beautiful in binoculars (and a good telescope target if you have a telescope lying about to dust of), and on the 12th and 13th the waxing but still fairly crescenty Moon is close to Mars.
As well, the southern sky is well worth looking at with either the unaided eye, binoculars or a telescope. The area between the Southern Cross and the False cross is particularly delightful. This is also a good time to view the girls gathering vegetables (Mankamankarranna to the peoples of the Adelaide Plains, or the Pleiades to the Greeks) and Tinniinyarra, the youths hunting kangaroos (Orion to the ancient Greeks).
 |  |  |
| Evening sky on Thursday, January 10 as seen looking west from Adelaide at 22:13 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Mars is the brightest object above the western horizon aside from the crescent Moon. Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). | Evening sky on Saturday, January 12 as seen looking west from Adelaide at 22:15 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Mars is the brightest object above the western horizon and is close to the near First Quarter Moon. Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). | Evening sky on Sunday, January 13 as seen looking west from Adelaide at 22:15 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Mars is the brightest object above the western horizon and is close to the near First Quarter Moon. Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). |
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
This weekend is a perfect time to observe our wonderful southern sky. The Moon is a waxing crescent so this is still an excellent time to look at the wonderful clusters and nebula of our southern skies with the unaided eye or binoculars.
The Milky way stretches from the Southern cross (Wilto the Eagle to the people of the Adelaide Plains) in the south to the distinctive constellation of Orion and beyond. The Milky ways' satellite dwarf galaxies, the Magellanic clouds, (between and below the bright stars Canopus and Achernar) are easily seen away from the city lights. This is the last week to get a good look at these wonders before the Moon's light washes them out.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Labels: public outreach, unaided eye
Wednesday, January 09, 2019
iTelescope ALERT! Asteroid (6478) Gault has a tail!
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| Asteroid (6478) Gault as seen at 3:36 Local time for Mayhill, New Mexico, when it is at transit. The Comet is near nu (ν) Hydrae not far from Crater . Click to embiggen. | Asteroid (6478) Gault as seen at 4:37 Local time for SSO, Siding Spring, when it is at transit (astronomical twilight starts at 4:33). The Comet is near nu (ν) Hydrae not far from Crater . Click to embiggen. |
Telescope view of Asteroid (6478) Gault. The large square is the field of View of T30 (SSO) and the small that of T17 (SSO) the medium rectangle is T5 (Mayhill). The orientation is upside down from the spotters maps. Asteroid (6478) Gault has been reported to have a comet like tail, from CBET 4594 “The tail/trail first appears in individual ATLAS exposures on 2018 Dec. 8, as identified by Denneau, with a median combined 120-s exposure showing a tail 30" long in p.a. 290 degrees. There is no evidence of a tail in previous ATLAS imaging in January 2018. An initial analysis using a cometary Finson-Probstein model (cf. website URL http://comet-toolbox.com/FP.html, as perJ.-B. Vincent) shows that both the Dec. 2018 and Jan. 2019 data are consistent with the ejection of material or commencement of activity in early Nov. 2018”. Previous images from ATLAS and PanSTARRS show no cometary-like activity back to 2010.
It has been suggested a collision or impact is responsible for the tail. Ongoing observation of the phenomenon should be undertaken to understand its nature.
Asteroid (6478) Gault is visible from both Northern and southern scopes from with transit around 3:30 am (northernscopes) and 4:30 am (Southern scopes), however, this is just past astronomical twilight at SSO, so imaging should begin before this. The Southern scopes have the best view with the asteroid potentially visible from 12:30 am local time.
Asteroid (6478) Gault is currently magnitude 18.7, and will need long exposures on narrow field scopes with tracking for the best results.
iTelescope users Ulrich Eberhard Stickel and Denis Denisenko have achieved images with T30 from SSO. Denis Denisenko's is at this link: http://scan.sai.msu.ru/~denis/Comet/6478-T30-20190108.jpg
The MPC one line ephemeris is:
06478 14.4 0.15 K194R 289.34905 83.26761 183.55769 22.81135 0.1935870 0.28161558 2.3051451 0 MPO435760 1093 19 1988-2018 0.44 M-v 38h MPC 0000 (6478) Gault 20180209
Example plan for following the asteroid, check filter availability.
; ; Single target image example, adjust filter as necessary for chosen scope. ; #trackon #count 3 #interval 300 #binning 2 #filter Red 06478 14.4 0.15 K194R 289.34905 83.26761 183.55769 22.81135 0.1935870 0.28161558 2.3051451 0 MPO435760 1093 19 1988-2018 0.44 M-v 38h MPC 0000 (6478) Gault 20180209 #shutdown
Labels: alert, asteroids, iTelescope
Tuesday, January 08, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday January 10 to Thursday January 17
The First Quarter Moon is Monday, January 14. Mars is visible low in
the evening skies and is visited by the Moon on the 12th and 13th. Venus is bright in the morning sky and Jupiter below is closing in on it.
Saturn returns to the morning sky and is close to Mercury on the 14th. The Milky way graces
the evening sky.
The First Quarter Moon is Monday, January 14.
Morning twilight sky on Monday, January 14 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:40 ACDST (40 minutes before sunrise). Venus is bright and is coming close to Jupiter.
Mercury and Saturn are close low to the horizon. The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic
view of Venus at this time. the lower insert shows the approximate view of Mercury and Saturn at this time.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (45 minutes before sunrise)
Evening sky on Saturday, January 12 as seen looking west from Adelaide
at 22:15 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Mars is the brightest object above the western horizon and is close to the near First Quarter Moon.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Evening sky on Saturday, January 12 as seen looking South-east from Adelaide
at 22:15 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset).
During the holidays many people will be away from the city lights. This is a perfect time to observe our wonderful southern sky. The Moon is a waxing crescent so this is still an excellent time to look at the wonderful clusters and nebula of our southern skies with the unaided eye or binoculars.
The Milky way stretches from the Southern cross in the south to the distinctive constellation of Orion and beyond. The Milky ways' satellite dwarf galaxies, the Magellanic clouds, (between and below the bright stars Canopus and Achernar) are easily seen away from the city lights. This is the last week to get a good look at these wonders before the Moons light washes them out.
Approximate Binocular view of the area between the Southern Cross and the False cross Saturday, January 12 as seen l
at 22:15 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). The distinctive open cluster, the Southern Pleiades, is seen around theta (θ) Carina (near top center).
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.
Venus climbs higher in the morning skies and Jupiter is heading towards it.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight and is near Saturn on the 14th. You will need a level unobstructed horizon to see them and may need binouclars to pick them u in the twilight glow. This is the least week Mercury is visible before disappearing in the twilight
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky heading towards Venus.
Mars is in Pisces and is readily seen as the brightest object in the western evening sky. Mars sets after midnight and is close to the waxing Moon on the 12th and 13th.
Saturn is returns to the morning sky low to the twilight and is close to Mercury on the 14th.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
The First Quarter Moon is Monday, January 14.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (45 minutes before sunrise)
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
During the holidays many people will be away from the city lights. This is a perfect time to observe our wonderful southern sky. The Moon is a waxing crescent so this is still an excellent time to look at the wonderful clusters and nebula of our southern skies with the unaided eye or binoculars.
The Milky way stretches from the Southern cross in the south to the distinctive constellation of Orion and beyond. The Milky ways' satellite dwarf galaxies, the Magellanic clouds, (between and below the bright stars Canopus and Achernar) are easily seen away from the city lights. This is the last week to get a good look at these wonders before the Moons light washes them out.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.
Venus climbs higher in the morning skies and Jupiter is heading towards it.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight and is near Saturn on the 14th. You will need a level unobstructed horizon to see them and may need binouclars to pick them u in the twilight glow. This is the least week Mercury is visible before disappearing in the twilight
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky heading towards Venus.
Mars is in Pisces and is readily seen as the brightest object in the western evening sky. Mars sets after midnight and is close to the waxing Moon on the 12th and 13th.
Saturn is returns to the morning sky low to the twilight and is close to Mercury on the 14th.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Labels: weekly sky
Monday, January 07, 2019
The ISS pass of Sunday 6 January 2019
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| International Space Station pass near Taurus and ALdebaran, Sunday 6 January at 20:01 ACDST. 10 images from my CANON IXUS, ASA 800 2 seconds exposure, stacked in DeepSky Stacker (only 8 of the 10 images made it into the final stack for some reason). click to embiggen | Animation of all 10 frames in stacked in ImageJ. Click to embiggen. |
January started slowly astronomy wise. Cloud, followed by cloud, followed by more cloud. But last night was finally clear, and I was able to see the ISS gliding across the Sky, past Phoenix then going between the Hyades (the head of of Taurus the bull) and the Pleiades. A magnificent sight.
Naturally it was cloudy tonight for the next bright ass of the series.
Labels: astrophotography, ISS, unaided eye
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